3 min read Analytics

Are Your Wine Brand Metrics Driving Growth—Or Just Reporting It?

Are Your Wine Brand Metrics Driving Growth—Or Just Reporting It?

👋 Welcome to New Vintage, a weekly taste of tech for wine professionals to level up with no-code and AI tools.

I SPOKE with 12 wine brands about their key metrics. Nearly all focused exclusively on lagging indicators—metrics that tell you what already happened (like revenue, sales by channel, and tasting room visits).

While these metrics are important, they're like driving using only your rear-view mirror. The most successful brands also track leading indicators—metrics that predict future success.

5 predictive metrics that can drive your brand's growth:

  1. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
  • What it is: Your marketing spend divided by new customers gained
  • Why it matters: Knowing your CAC helps you invest in channels that actually work
  • How to track it: Total marketing spend ÷ new customers (by channel)
  • Quick win: Calculate your CAC by channel (social, email, events). Double down on your most efficient channel.
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Strategic value: Once you know your CAC by channel, you can set target payback periods, establish LTV:CAC goals, and fine-tune your marketing mix until you have clear winners. This transforms marketing from a cost center to a predictable revenue driver.
  1. Average Order Value (AOV)
  • What it is: Total revenue divided by number of orders
  • Why it matters: Small AOV improvements can dramatically impact profitability
  • How to track it: Total revenue ÷ number of orders (in your e-commerce platform)
  • Quick win: Test a free shipping threshold just above your current AOV
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Strategic value: By experimenting with different upsells, bundles, and shipping thresholds across customer segments, you can systematically increase AOV without hurting conversion rates. Even a 10% AOV increase can mean significant profit growth.
  1. Cart Abandonment Rate
  • What it is: Percentage of started purchases not completed
  • Why it matters: Every abandoned cart is lost revenue you can recover
  • How to track it: (Abandoned carts ÷ total initiated carts) x 100
  • Quick win: Set up a simple "We saved your cart" email for abandoners
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Strategic value: This is one way to tease out gaps in your customer journey. Use tools like Hotjar to see exactly where customers drop off. Focus especially on mobile checkout—it's often the biggest opportunity. Savvy brands boost repeat purchase rate through automated follow-ups with tools like Klaviyo.
  1. Revenue Per Session
  • What it is: Average revenue generated per website visit
  • Why it matters: Shows how well your site converts visitors to buyers
  • How to track it: Total revenue ÷ total website sessions
  • Quick win: A/B test your product descriptions with more specific tasting notes
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Strategic value: This metric reveals your website's true selling power. Through systematic A/B testing of product descriptions, imagery, and calls-to-action, you can turn your website into your most efficient sales channel.
  1. Traffic Growth by Source
  • What it is: Where your website visitors come from
  • Why it matters: Helps you invest in channels that bring quality traffic
  • How to track it: Google Analytics source/medium report
  • Quick win: Identify your top 3 traffic sources and create channel-specific landing pages to improve conversion rates
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Strategic value: With proper conversion tracking, you can identify which channels bring high-intent visitors. When you find a channel that works (like social sending qualified traffic), you can confidently scale your investment.

Getting Started

Don't try to tackle everything at once. Pick one metric that feels most relevant to your current challenges. Most importantly, schedule a weekly metrics review with your team.

This 30-minute meeting can transform how you make decisions (here's an excellent guide on running effective metrics reviews by Elena Verna, it's paid though).

What's Next:

Which of these metrics resonates most with your current challenges?

I'd love to hear which one you'll tackle first.

If you're celebrating – have a great Thanksgiving,

Stephen

Stephen Mok

Stephen Mok